Tug of War

by Twana Young

January 7, 2020

I have been struggling to find the words to express what is in my heart for all that we have gone through in 2020 and the events that happened yesterday with the riots in DC. I just want to say to everyone reading this, I love you all. I don’t care who you voted for or your political affiliation. What I care about is that we push against the division and hate that has been weaponized in the country and continually grows every minute of every day. If this was a tug of war, based on what I have seen on social media, hate is winning.

If we are to win this tug of war, we need to call on the strength of God in us, put our hurt, anger, frustration, and pain in His hands. We need to take a deep, Holy Spirit-filled breath, tighten our hands around the rope of grace and pull. In this push/pull environment we need to be pullers. Pulling ourselves and others toward Him. Refusing to contribute to the divisiveness and disunity. Taking a reflective look at our selves and honoring the experience and perspectives of others when it comes to race. I have been teaching on racism, equity, and diversity to people all over the country for a year and this work (no matter what race you are) starts by reflecting within.

So we must be pullers in this tug of war. Pulling people from division toward unity, from hate toward love, from hurt toward healing, from hopelessness toward hope. God’s people are called to be salt and light so lets season 2021 with the goodness of God through our actions, words, and approach to the issues of the day.

When we see the narrative being pushed that all (insert a race, or political party, or religion) think/act/believe alike we need resist the urge to stereotype an entire group and instead recognize individuals for who they are. When we have been hurt by members of a specific group we need to resist the urge to generalize the individual’s actions to the entire group and pull on the grace, love, forgiveness, and hope that has been given to us and freely and give it to others (those we agree with and those we don’t). Forgiveness frees us from being bound by our hurt and pain.

When we see people being devalued because of their race, religion, or political affiliation then we need to pull on the power of Christ in us and do our part to make a change for righteousness. When we see the narrative being shared by fellow believers that people who are focused on praying but are remaining silent are showing their complicity to the darkness. Let’s pull on our knowledge that our job is to be aligned to the will of God and He is the one who knows men’s hearts. Let’s not be wise in our own eyes and assume that those praying for strategy, peace, and unity should emerge from their prayer closets speaking boldly and loudly in a way that makes us feel better. Let’s trust that God may have told them to speak into specific circles where He has positioned them or not to speak at all, but instead, to act in the way He has spoken to them.

There is so much going on in the world, but there is so much more going on in the spirit. God is positioning people, speaking to them, equipping them, and preparing them. My personal focus is to not lose myself in the world’s ways but to immerse myself in God’s ways. To pray, to speak when and where He tells me to, to step out in faith in the places and ways He sends me, to extend grace, love, forgiveness, and value to everyone. Most importantly to remember that He is my center, my anchor, and that the best place for my heartbreak, anger, frustration, and pain is at His feet. To approach Him with a heart that is repentant, a spirit that is humble, and faith in His sovereignty. My daily prayer for this broken world is for us to return to Him as a nation, as a world, and to love each other above all. Jesus is the only path to making the change we need, bringing unity and love to our nation that so desperately needs it. No man or woman in government will do that for us.